Hannah Holden has put this year's best fairway woods through their paces and ranked them across a number of categories
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Best fairway woods 2022: The contenders
Callaway Rogue ST
All three Rogue ST woods are impressive performers. Unsurprisingly the Max D was the most draw bias. It also had the highest ball flight and spun the most. In terms of distance, it was hard to split the LS and the Max models, with just 0.1 yards between them.
The Max took the crown averaging 222.3 yards. This was the longest average carry distance in the test. I loved the consistency of the Max, especially in terms of front to back dispersion.
RRP: £299
Cleveland Launcher XL Halo
This wasn’t the longest, but the distance was very consistent. My misses were also remarkably consistent, leading to me having the smallest dispersion in the test with this.
The lightweight nature of this also made this easy to get in the air. I was hitting nice, high-launching shots which would be perfect for golfers who struggle to get enough hang time.
It has an oversized head which inspires confidence, and added offset helps straighten out a left-to-right shot shape.
RRP: £219
Cobra LTDx
Both the LTDx woods sit great behind the golf ball and the looks of these models have drawn the most compliments from playing partners. Like the driver range, these were seriously impressive. Both models boasted powerful distance and tight dispersion.
The ball flight was fairly neutral but did give some right to left shot shape assistance. The spin was slightly on the low side which worked nicely with my high ball flight but might not be for every golfer.
RRP: £249
Honma TW747
These look incredible. I love the classic design and found it to inspire confidence over the ball. This was one of the lower-flighted woods in the test, which really suited me as I have an excessively high ball flight already.
My favourite feature was just how good the front to back dispersion was, while the distance was another tick in the consistency box, which gave me great confidence when I had hazards to carry. A fine fairway wood all-round.
RRP: £299
Ping G425
There are three models in the G425 range. Although the LST carried the furthest it was the Max model that I found the most consistent and impressive. Spinsistency was the key storyline when these were launched, and the Max model easily had the most consistent spin in the test.
This helped me have a consistent front to back and left to right dispersion and, like the driver counterpart, made this model one of the most forgiving in the test.
RRP: £299
Srixon ZX
A classic-looking fairway wood that looked great behind the ball. This was the only model that I tested in a 5-wood and for this reason it ended up as one of the shortest, though in reality a 5-wood carrying 198 yards on average is very long. I expect the 3-wood would be an absolute rocket.
I really liked the way I could control this as the small nature of the clubhead made it easy to work the ball both ways. The smaller sizing also made it more versatile from various lies.
RRP: £239
TaylorMade Stealth
Much like the driver range, there are a number of models with distinct properties. The Stealth is larger, more forgiving, and draw biased. Overall, the distance and dispersion was great with this, while the Stealth+ was noticeably more workable and more left-to-right biased in terms of ball flight.
The Stealth+ model also ended up being a few yards longer but I found my distance control wasn’t as consistent, giving me a longer front to back dispersion. One of my favourites of 2022.
RRP: From £279
Titleist TSi3
Titleist woods always look fantastic, and these are no different. I love the gloss black finish and the compact shaping of the TSi3 model really suits my eye. I found the smaller size very workable and an advantage for someone like me who prefers hybrids to larger fairway woods.
The standout factor here was the distance. In fact, the TSi3 was one of the longest woods in the test. The smaller shape did affect the dispersion though with the TSi2 being the more forgiving.
RRP: £279
Wilson D9 and Launch Pad
I tested two models from Wilson, the D9 and Launch Pad. The D9 was the longest of the two models, I found this really easy to hit and a very consistent performer. It also had a very neutral dispersion down the target line.
The Launch Pad had some of the best front-to-back dispersions in the test, making it great for distance control. It also had very consistent spin which made it very easy to control. At this price point, very much worthy of consideration.
RRP: From £179
METHODOLOGY
WINNERS
WHAT’S GOING IN MY BAG?
